But to her, the benefits of Boaler's ideas are evident.
The students began the
camp convinced they were“not math people,” Boaler says.
Boaler, she says, is a major part of the movement to change that.
Boaler, whose research focuses on mathematics education,
is the co-founder and faculty director of youcubed.
Then, on a lark, she emailed Boaler for advice on a state education matter.
For Boaler, there is no such thing as a math gene or a math brain.
The kids don't get to see them,
and most teachers don't know about them, either,” Boaler says.
Through her mother's studies, Boaler was exposed to many of the cutting-edge,
play-based educational ideas of the day.
Boaler suggests flipping the question on its head
and asking students how many rectangles they can draw with an area of 24.
Here, Boaler explains what holds people back from learning, why
praising kids for being“smart” is problematic, and how to embrace moments of struggle:.
By adopting richer, more open teaching methods and
encouraging kids to adopt a growth mindset, Boaler believes, educators can help students make strides.
He had heard about Boaler at a conference of the California Mathematics Council,
picked up one of her books, and soon attended a workshop.
For Boaler, the test- with its focus on speed,
volume and performance- is a big part of why math crushes spirits like no other subject.
This chopping up of mathematical concepts, asserts Boaler, is where American math education fails children,
and why Felix gets frustrated by her daughter's math homework.
Boaler directly influences the teaching of mathematics by educating future teachers in Stanford's STEP program, but
her most far-reaching impact is probably through her Stanford-based website.
Boaler, a professor at the Graduate School of Education, sees math altogether differently- as
a subject of beauty and creativity in which any student can thrive.
But Marc Petrie, a middle school math teacher
in Orange County, Calif., says Boaler and Youcubed have helped him in a setting where
the challenge is undeniable.
For instance, Boaler is an advocate of“number talks,” in which students
work on a problem- say, 5 x 18- then discuss the different ways each approached it.
Boaler is one of those rare
and remarkable educators who not only know the secret of great teaching but also know how to give that gift to others.”.
And even those who calculate speedily- not a skill Boaler thinks is particularly valuable in the digital age-
may end up shrugging off math as a high-pressure hamster wheel.
Boaler is a leading voice for a wholly different
pedagogy where speed is out, depth is in, and the journey to an answer can be as important as the destination.
Boaler is one of those rare
and remarkable educators who not only know the secret of great teaching but also know how to give that gift to others,” Dweck wrote.
Boaler is one of those rare
and remarkable educators who not only know the secret of great teaching but also know how to give that gift to others.”- CAROL DWECK, author of Mindset.
Org- which has had more than 24 million page views since it launched in 2015-
is stocked with free lesson plans and projects Boaler believes are creative, illuminating and engaging for all students.
As a researcher, teacher and evangelist, Boaler is a leading voice for a wholly different pedagogy where speed is
out, depth is in, and the journey to an answer can be as important as the destination.
Boaler's larger goal isn't just changing classroom tactics,
but transforming the mindset that governs who we think can learn math in the first place- the stereotype that reveals itself every time someone says,“I don't do math.”.